ky as a bear. Let us have
one pipe, Georgy!--just one."

And after the smoke the young men went to bed, where I, for one, wish
them a pleasant rest, for sure it is a good and pleasant thing to see
brethren who love one another.

CHAPTER LV. Between Brothers

Of course our young men had had their private talk about home, and all
the people and doings there, and each had imparted to the other full
particulars of his history since their last meeting. How were Harry's
dogs, and little Dempster, and good old Nathan, and the rest of the
household? Was Mountain well, and Fanny grown to be a pretty girl? So
Parson Broadbent's daughter was engaged to marry Tom Barker of Savannah,
and they were to go and live in Georgia! Harry owns that at one period
he was very sweet upon Parson Broadbent's daughter, and lost a
great deal of pocket-money at cards, and drank a great quantity of
strong-waters with the father, in order to have a pretext for being near
the girl. But, Heaven help us! Madam Esmond would never have consented
to his throwing himself away upon Polly Broadbent. So Colonel G.
Washington's wife was a pretty woman, very good-natured and pleasant,
and with a good fortune? He had brought her into Richmond, and paid a
visit of state to Madam Esmond. George described, with much humour, the
awful ceremonials at the interview between these two personages, and the
killing politeness of his mother to Mr. Washington's young wife. "Never
mind, George, my dear!" says Mrs. Mountain. "The Colonel has taken
another wife, but I feel certain that at one time two young gentlemen I
know of ran a very near chance of having a tall stepfather six feet two
in his boots." To be sure, Mountain was for ever match-making in her
mind. Two people could not play a game at cards together, or sit down
to a dish of tea, but she fancied their conjunction was for life. It was
she--the foolish tattler--who had set the report abroad regarding the
poor Indian woman. As for Madam Esmond, she had repelled the insinuation
with scorn when Parson Stack brought it to her, and said, "I should as
soon fancy Mr. Esmond stealing the spoons, or marrying a negro woman
out of the kitchen." But, though she disdained to find the poor Biche
guilty, and even thanked her for attending her son in his illness, she
treated her with such a chilling haughtiness of demeanour, that the
Indian slunk away into the servants' quarters, and there tried to drown
her disappointment